Description
The Virna M. Canson papers include photographs, correspondence, programs, certificates, and newspaper clippings documenting
Canson’s activities with the NAACP and credit unions, politics, and her personal and family history.
Background
Virna Mae Canson (1921-2003) was born on June 10, 1921 in Bridgeport, Oklahoma to William Augustus Dobson and Eula Mae Gross
Dobson. Her father was a veteran of World War I and a graduate of Langston University, the only historically black university
in Oklahoma. Both her parents worked as school teachers, and her father served as mayor of the all-black town of Lima, Oklahoma.
The Dobson family was politically active and participated in the federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, Women’s, Oklahoma Association
of Negro Teachers, and the National Unity of Colored Women.
Extent
.5 linear feet
(1 box + 1 oversized box)
Restrictions
Permission to publish from the Virna M. Canson Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
Availability
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.